S. Yarra1
20/9/7[5].2
Let me offer, dear Mr Sheffield, my best gratulation to your elevation to the high and honorable post, which you so well deserve to hold.3 Will you kindly allow me the loan for one day of Henry Watts Dictionary of Chemistry, only the first volume.4 Sir Redmond told me that for my studies I might have books at any time
I have still the one volume of Cavanilles5 here, but shall not require it after a few days, when I will return it. Not likely any one will look for that work.
your regardful
Ferd. von Mueller.
South Yarra, Melbourne.
The final number is illegilble but the context suggests that it must be 5.
Sheffield was promoted to the position of Librarian of the Melbourne Public Library in September 1875, having been sub-librarian since 1858.
Watts (1866-1868). Two copies of this edition are listed as Watts (1863-72) in Public Library of Victoria (1880), vol. 2, p. 1736, the first including the 1872 supplement, and the second with the additional supplements for 1876-79. However the start date may be in error, based on the date of the preface, as other libraries catalogue it as from 1865, or 1866 which is the date on the title page. The first volume has entries ‘Abichite—Conglomerate’.
There is no copy of Cavanilles (1791-1801) at MEL, but there is one at the State Library of Victoria. M cites vol. 4 of this work in several entries in his Eucalyptographia, which he is known to have been working on for some time before the first four decades were published as B79.13.11 (see M to G. Berry, 7 August 1877).
Please cite as “FVM-75-09-20a,” in Correspondence of Ferdinand von Mueller, edited by R.W. Home, Thomas A. Darragh, A.M. Lucas, Sara Maroske, D.M. Sinkora†, J.H. Voigt† and Monika Wells accessed on